Visaaranai

Visaaranai, after seeing a lot of international film festivals across the world, comes back to where it belongs - theatres of Tamizh Nadu. The film garnered highly positive reviews right from superstars Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan to critics and jury members. Tamizh Cinema has seen a lot of promise from Balu Mahendra's proteges - Bala, Ram and Seenu Ramasamy to name a few. Vettrimaran is no exception. 

Visaaranai is about political interference in Indian judiciary, corrupted officials, white collars, police officers and hapless victims caught in the web - if that's the correct hierarchy of the so called "system". The movie starts in Andhra Pradesh with a group of four homeless migrants from Tamizh Nadu being picked up by the policemen and asked to confess a robbery they never knew about. The only connection they have with the robbery is the place where they stay, a park closer to the colony. They are repeatedly beaten up until they confess the robbery and finally taken to court. The second half runs along the same lines again, but the ambience and the nature of police investigation changes. Vettrimaran, taking inspiration from a novel "Lock Up" has interwoven few real life incidents to make a feature film that runs for less than 2 hours.

The realistic portrayal of police investigation sends a chill down your spine. The brutality handled by the policemen to make the victims confess the crime is terrible. Everytime a lathi blow lands on one of the victims, you feel the pain. Vettrimaran has achieved a rarity in Tamizh Cinema, making the viewers a part of the proceedings. Right from the first frame, he keeps everything real and there is no exaggeration anywhere. The authenticity of picturization is clearly evident from the crackles of walkie-talkies you often hear in the background in a police station. 

Vettrimaran is one director who makes movies which are critically accliamed and commercially successful. In Visaaranai, he has managed to place an intriguing sub-plot that keeps the audience engrossed throughout. There is love, there is friendship, there is betrayal, there is truth - everything blended in so perfectly that there appears to be no compromise. Above all, there is an element of fear that engulfs every frame - and it sometimes shifts to the viewers too.

"Attakathi" Dinesh gives his career best performance - Performance would be an understatement :  He has given his heart and soul.. and skin for the character. You can sense his pain everytime his muscle releases a spasm on a lathi blow - the most underrated actor in recent times. We can see his "Attakathi" version in a few frames that involves a love portion with Anandhi of TIN fame. Be it the frame where he emotes betrayal or the scene where he takes in more and more beatings to save his friends from being beaten to death -  a masterclass performance from an under-utilized actor. Samudhirakani and Kishore play their role with comfortable ease. They are the front-runners in the list of most sought after supporting actors. The investigation scene involving the two of them brings out the crux of the story, a true reflection of the reality - how political heads influence and make use of police and civilians as pawns for their own gains. Samudhirakani's shift from being confident when he has the upper hand in the first half to becoming one more pawn in the second half is just a sample for his versatility. Kishore's performance is perfect especially in scenes where he cries in pain before having his last breath. "Aadukalam" Ramadoss provides the humour quotient, and his boundary does not end there - he is only second to Dinesh in emoting the pain. Each and every person on screen is at his/her best, even the ones who come in for a single frame. Misha, as the only kind hearted cop makes an impact. 

Vettrimaran's dialogues are top-notch, they convey the much needed message strongly - The system feeds and is being fed by the powerful and the powerless are nothing but pawns. Editor Kishore has delivered one more masterpiece and Tamizh Cinema has definitely lost one of the bests in business. GV Prakash's background score is undisturbing and doesn't dilute the script. There are scenes where there is no background score - this makes us realise the impact the movie would have created in the international film festivals, where it was screened without the BG score. Being a definite contender for the national awards, Dhanush and Vettrimaran have one more feather to their cap - after Kaaka Muttai.

Bottomline - Visaaranai: The real face of Tamizh Cinema at the global arena... Oppukontaara?

Kaaka Muttai

A national award film is usually slow paced, emotional and often ends on a tragic note. For a change, here is a national award winner which is a feel good entertainer. We have seen films starting with a cow giving birth to its calf, the dong of the temple bell, a festive song or the hero breaking the drishti pumpkin with his head. The movie breaks these superstitious stereotypes in the very first frame, where the smaller one wets his trousers and tries to hide it from his mother. 

The storyline looks simple at first. But, as the story and scenes unfold, you realize this is not just a children's film. This film is a reflection of the society we live in. There have been films in the past that portray the poverty line demarcation of the haves and have-nots. Here, the  debutant director has handled it on a lighter note when it comes from the kids and on a strong note when it comes from the adults. But, both bring out the hard truth.

The lead characters in the movie are two kids. The kids' mom is working hard not only to make both ends meet, but also to bail out her husband in jail. The kids had to drop out from school as they have to work for the family. They earn by picking coal spilt from the goods train. The first portrayal of poverty is when the boys steal eggs from a crow's nest. The family is struggling and they can't afford to buy eggs daily. The day comes when the kids witness their tree being cut down for a commercial complex. A pizza shop is built at that place inaugurated by simbhu. These kids get tempted and start to (y)earn for their first bite of pizza. From there on, the script takes on multiple social issues and stands out as a novel attempt in Indian cinema.

Ramesh and vignesh have lived as chinna kaaka muttai and periya kaaka muttai in the movie. Ishwarya rajesh gives her career best, her guts to play the role of a mother at the start of her career needs special mention. The character names from the movie - chinna kaaka muttai, periya kaaka muttai, pazharasam, naina evoke humor. Supporting roles from ramesh tilak, yogi babu, joe malloori add strength to the movie. Ramesh tilak comes up with another good performance after soodhu kavvum and demonte. Yogi babu's version of "am waiting" makes the crowd  go crazy. He is one of the few comedians who can evoke laughter with just the shake off his head. Simbhu's first frame on the screen makes the crowd roar. They have missed him on screen. GV's music is apt and there are no spoilers. But, the real hero is the scriptwriter and director manikandan. The fact that he has not assisted any director and this is his debut movie is a surprise.

Silambarasan's scene from silambattam is played on TV. This scene made the hall erupt with whistles. Wait, that's not the highlight. It is the next scene. The kids try to play simbhu and utter the dialogue in the same modulation. An entertaining yet powerful scene showcasing the impact of tamizh cinema on kids, especially when they speak like adults. The mother of the kids does not like her younger one calling himself "chinna kaaka mutta". There is a scene where the elder one calls himself "periya kaaka mutta" and leaves the house, when he gets into an argument with his mom. Simply symbolic. There is humour throughout the movie and it never dips.

The kids somehow earn money for their pizza. But, the drama that follows, visualizes the bitter reality. The kids enter the pizza shop with their pocket full of 300 rs, but they are not allowed inside because of their shabby dress. Now, they hunt for their first pair of new dress. When a rich child gives them the remnants of his pizza, the elder one denies. Dignity. The elder one refuses to steal mobile phones when he sees his age group involved in it. Honesty. When the boys wait outside city center to buy a new dress, the younger one looks in awe but comes back with a quick counter - "Kandippa namalla ulla vuda maataan". This is where the reality of modern day society is reiterated on a lighter note. Ishwarya's dialogue - "Ilathavan veetu munnadi kadaiya poatu, pasanga aasaiya thoondunaa". One-liner on globalization at the doorstep of the slums. The script deals with everything - right from globalization to local politics. Above all, the dialogues delivered in chennai slang adds to the authenticity of the script and screenplay.

A must watch movie. A film that needs to be celebrated. Hats off manikandan!

Ayae thaetrla poi paarunga baa!